In China has renamed hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns, we learn of the latest policy in the campaign to make Xinjiang look and feel like mainstream, Han-dominated China: Hundreds of Uyghur villages and towns have been renamed by Chinese authorities to remove religious or cultural references, with many replaced by names reflecting Communist party … Continue reading Rectification of Names: Uyghur Towns, Chinese Names
Profile: Literary Translator Bruce Humes in Tainan
In Letter from Tainan, I speak with China hand Thomas Bird --- author of the newly published Harmony Express --- about today's Tainan, and mainlander-dominated Taipei back in 1978 when I had just made my side-door entry into China: Humes describes a very different cityscape from the malls and skyscrapers of contemporary Taipei: “First-floor garage-like … Continue reading Profile: Literary Translator Bruce Humes in Tainan
Banner of the Week: “Show us some Humanity!”
Movie Review: Focus on the Endangered “Nikah” Uyghur Wedding Rite
In ‘Nikah’: An astonishing portrait of Uyghur life on the edge of erasure, Darren Byler introduces a film about a traditional Uyghur wedding rite that has been banned in Xinjiang: The story on the surface is a simple one. Two daughters in their twenties, Dilber and Rena, are caught between their own ambitions — careers, … Continue reading Movie Review: Focus on the Endangered “Nikah” Uyghur Wedding Rite
Disappeared in Xinjiang: Uyghur Ethnographer Rahile Dawut
In A Disappearance in Xinjiang, Financial Times' Edward White profiles Uyghur female ethnographer Rahile Dawut, who disappeared into China's Xinjiang Gulag in 2017: Rahile’s life was devoted to the preservation of cultural diversity across the vast Xinjiang region, nearly three times the size of France and covering about one-sixth of modern China. For centuries, ancient Silk … Continue reading Disappeared in Xinjiang: Uyghur Ethnographer Rahile Dawut
Quote of the Week: Yiyun Li
Once you’re Chinese, you’re always Chinese. They put a mark on you . . . And I don’t want to be owned. (Writer Yiyun Li, speaking in Mother Tongues at China Books Review)
Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
At the turn of 21st century, three young female Chinese novelists were busy boldly writing about their sexuality, orgasms and all, and being lambasted for it by the critics and Chinese society at large. The trio were Jiu Dan, who chronicled the exploits of China's“Little Dragon Girls” in Singapore in Crows (乌鸦); Mian Mian, author … Continue reading Shanghai Baby’s Translator, Author Wei Hui & Abu Ghraib
Excerpt from “Mapping Civilizations Across Eurasia”
By H K Chang Translated by Bruce Humes in collaboration with the author Now available for purchase online Miniature Painting Guide: My Name Is Red In the summer of 2003, I accidentally came into possession of an English translation of Benim Adım Kırmızı (My Name is Red), a novel by the Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk. … Continue reading Excerpt from “Mapping Civilizations Across Eurasia”
Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading Now — “La Légende du Chaman”
Le chamanisme a été interdit en Mongolie durant la période socialiste au même titre que l’écriture et les costumes traditionnels. Il était alors perçu comme une pratique arriérée, néfaste et manipulatrice. Quand j'ai lu La Légende du Chaman pour la première fois au tournant des années 2010, il connaissait un regain d'intérêt important dans un … Continue reading Ethnic ChinaLit: What We’re Reading Now — “La Légende du Chaman”
Translating Taiwan: Gender is a Popular Theme
Translating Taiwan: Meetings with Literary Translators features interviews with several translators --- including into English, French, Japanese and German --- and identifies one unique focus: In terms of subject matter, gender is a popular theme among Taiwanese writers of all ages. This shared commitment reflects Taiwan's persistent struggles for gender equality over the decades, as … Continue reading Translating Taiwan: Gender is a Popular Theme
Ethnic ChinaLit 